Chelsea hand debut to ‘perfect’ teenager born in 2008 and we all feel incredibly old
Chelsea handed a first-team debut to a teenager born in 2008, making us all wonder just where the time has gone.
Reggie Walsh appeared in the 88th minute of Chelsea’s comfortable 4-1 victory away at Djurgarden in the UEFA Conference League and despite his young age, manager Enzo Marezca has already described him as “perfect” for the London side.
The midfielder, born a few months after Spain’s 2008 Euro win, is the third youngest player to play for Chelsea, behind Ian Hamilton and Kingsley Whiffen, and his appearance came as Chelsea marched towards what seems an inveitble Conference League title.
Jadon Sancho opened the scoring in the 12th minute before Noni Madueke doubled the lead just before half-time.
A brace from Ncihoals Jackson in the second half already looks to have killed the game off despite Djurgården’s consolation goal in the 68th minute.
Speaking of the young debutant, Maresca, who is 29 years older than Walsh, was glowing in his assessment.
“It’s a great moment, he’s very young,” Maresca said. “To be honest, it’s already a long time that I feel excited to give him the debut chance because he’s so good.
“He’s very young but in the way we want to play, in our way, in our style, he’s perfect.
“But he’s still very young, he needs to learn, he needs to work hard and he needs to grow for sure. But we are happy.
“[Staff] just said to me that we gave eight debuts this season from the academy. I think it’s good.”
Walsh also received praise from Jackson who said he was “for sure going to go far.”
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“He’s a very good player, top quality,” Jackson, at the comparatively old age of 23, told TNT Sports.
“For sure he’s going to go far. He has a lot of quality. I’m very happy for him to make his debut. I hope for more to come for him.”
Walsh became the seventh youngest player to feature in the Conference League and were he to make his Premier League debut this weekend, he would be the joint-eighth youngest player in the competition’s history, level with Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Gary McSheffrey.
The youngest player to feature is Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri who made his debut at the age of 15 years, five months and 28 days. In April, Jeremy Monga’s appearance for Leicester made him the second youngest player in the league’s history.
